43 DAYS AS GOVERNOR:Ortom Moves to End Water Scarcity By Hemen Atondu

43 DAYS AS GOVERNOR:Ortom Moves to End Water Scarcity.

The Governor of Benue State Samuel Ortom has employed every arsenal to curb water scarcity in Benue state and its environs and make water available for use .
The Benue state Government through one of its Agency ,Benue State Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Agency (BERWASSA) in Partnership with UN, DFID and UNICEF made this public during a familiarisation visit to the Benue state Governor Samuel Ortom.
The country Director of UN and his team visited the Governor in his office accompanied by the General Manager BERWASSA Mr James Aper ,the team showed the action plan for Benue state which among other things is to make sure within a range of ten households there is an access point for water supply. The Governor in his response, gave commitment and readiness of Government under his watch to partner with interested parties and international organizations for the Development of the state.
The team explained that ,the UN and UNICEF Sanitation Hygiene and Water in Nigeria programme (SHAWN) is aimed at increasing access to water and sanitation in the 23 local Government areas of the state .The programme is to create more access water points and sanitation facilities in schools and public places and funding is required from the Benue state Government. For a start,Governor Samuel Ortom has released the sum of 20 million naira through
Benue state planning commission to BERWASSA to facilitate the UN projects on water and sanitation in Benue State.
Also, the
viability of the workforce in every society is hinged on the level of awareness of the citizens on health related matters.
Within this same period under consideration Benue state Government through BERWASSA partners Global Sanitation funds to create awareness on the dangers of indiscriminate passing of faeces in public just as a biblical saying goes that "Cleanliness is next to Godliness".
The global organisation have already started the awareness campaign in Gwer ,logo and Agatu local Government areas providing toilet facilities to the rural dwellers and enlightening them on basic hygiene principles. BERWASSA under Dr .James Aper have fared very excellently ,providing boreholes to rural dwellers,pit latrines in villages. Dr.Aper went extra miles to keep donor partners amidst tight financial standing.
So far the SHAWN programme is providing accessible water points in various locations in koshisha,Ogbadibo,Oju,Tarka,Buruku,Katsina Ala and Obi. These Giant strides by BERWASSA under Dr.Aper to provide water to the teaming rural population will compliment Governor Samuel Ortom's quest to give the people of Katsina-Ala,Makurdi and Otukpo clean water by revitalising the Makurdi greater water work,Katsina-Ala water project and the Otobi water works abandoned by the previous Administration. Dr.James Aper fits in the policies and Developmental agenda of the present administration and deserve accolades for the feat achieved at BERWASSA so far.